If you were expecting an MVP-level season from Russell Wilson, The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly says don’t hold your breath.
In his appearance early today on 93.7 The Fan, Kaboly was asked if the team should opt for Justin Fields at quarterback instead of Wilson due to his upside. Kaboly quickly turned down the thought explaining the team isn’t looking for a world-beater at the position.
“I don’t think they are looking for that 26-touchdown, 3000-yard type of guy,” said Kaboly. “They just want a quarterback, three things… convert the third downs, even if it’s with his legs…Red Zone… And being a leader, just being an absolute leader of this team.”
As I’m sure most Steelers fans can agree, those are three improvements the team would love to see next season.
Last season the Steelers ranked 21st in third down conversion percentage at 37%. They were 25th in red zone touchdown percentage, scoring on less than 49% of their trips. And while there are no hard numbers to quantify leadership from the quarterback position, based on the reports on Kenny Pickett’s attitude during the season, we can assume it wouldn’t be great.
Kaboly also expressed that the team wants to rely on their offensive line and the running game headlined by the duo of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. As long as the passing game is above average, the team believes they have a shot at competing.
Earlier in the day, Louis Riddick was on The Fan and talked about Fields and Wilson and gave a different opinion than what Kaboly says the Steelers are looking to do, and believed the team could give Fields a look as the starter, citing his improved play over last season.
“Look, as much as I respect Russ, I don’t think it’s a sure-fire lock that he is the starter either,” Riddick said. “Russ isn’t the missing link in Pittsburgh… Now it’s Justin and Russ, and they get to go at it. And I’ll tell you what, this is a great situation for Justin Fields, a great situation. And I know where I’m putting my money when the dust settles. Because talk about a raw deal, okay, Justin Fields got a raw deal in Chicago.”
At the end of the day, in my mind, the two both come with variance. There’s a reason Fields and Wilson were available this offseason and that is because both come with highs and lows due to their decision-making and freelancing styles of play.
Granted Fields offers more upside with his elite rushing, but Wilson’s passing and processing is at a more advanced level than Fields.
So what will the team ultimately go with? A proven commodity on the decline who has shown he can be a Super Bowl-winning game manager or a high-upside swing that could make or break your chances in any given game?
Only time will tell.
